This poetic and minimalist anthology presents 10 years of heritage of AIRES MATEUSdesign
studios at the Accademia di Archittettura di Mendrisio in Switzerland.100 images oflargescale
models built by students of AIRES MATEUS are brought together to create afamily portrait. Each
expertly staged model is pictured with the essential schemes necessaryto understand the volumes
portrayed. Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus' many years ofexperience in pedagogy and the use
of models in practice are brought together in a manifestowhich precedes the anthology of
images. The importance of the model in the formation ofarchitectural ideas and throughout the
design process as well as its potency as a standalonestatement are highlighted. The evocative
photographs in this book reveal abstract spacesproduced by artistic interpretations of light
volume and materiality.
